Nagpur: BJP president Nitin Gadkari today
downplayed the absence of senior BJP leaders from Jharkhand
Chief Minister Arjun Munda`s swearing-in ceremony, saying his
appointment was the party`s unanimous decision.
"Munda was elected for the top job by BJP Parliamentary
Board and the decision was unanimous," Gadkari told reporters
after meeting Munda at his residence here.
"There is no resentment in the party leadership. Both L K
Advani and Sushma Swaraj were preoccupied with their
respective programmes and hence could not make it," he said.
He said his predecessor Rajnath Singh and Chief Ministers
of two BJP-ruled states were present at the swearing-in
ceremony held at Ranchi yesterday.
Meanwhile, Munda, who was accompanied by Hemant Soren and
Sudesh Mahto, the two ministers who were sworn-in with him,
said, "Advaniji had also skipped the swearing-in ceremony in
2003 when I took over as the Chief Minister."
Reports had it that Advani and other leaders, including
Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, kept away from the function as they
were apparently unhappy over the party coming together with
JMM after breaking ties earlier this year when its chief Shibu
Soren voted for the UPA on cut motions in the Lok Sabha.
Gadkari, who cited pooja at his residence here on the
occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi as the reason for his absence
from the function, said he was optimistic that Munda will
complete his term with development and good governance as the
main agenda.
"The achievements of the Munda government will be
landmark," the BJP President said.
Asked about the embarrassment the party faced while
trying to form the government in Jharkhand in the recent past,
Gadkari said, "in politics one should forget the past."
Munda said he would seek a trust vote on September 14 and
further review the situation prevailing in the state.
"My government will complete the term looking into the
coalition agreement, understanding and issues in the state,"
he added.
40 engineers of PWD were dismissed following complaints
against them, he said.
On the Naxal menace, Munda said there was need for a
holistic approach to solve the problem and expressed
confidence that both the state and the Centre would handle it
properly.
PTI
